Hipocratic medicine already had as objectives, not only to cure but also to relieve suffering, condemning at the same time, obviously pointless treatment.In the latter half of the 20th century the health of the individual has become a kind of religion in which the use of high technology is not always adjusted to the patient who is nearing the end of life but keeps being submitted to treatments to prolong it, transforming the final stages of life into an agonising dying process. This is always associated with therapeutic futility including the trend to defi ne the extent of treatment according to available resources.The article concludes that it is necessary to recover the objectives of Hipocratic medicine which place value on the person, their values and choices; to recognize when curative medicine should be replaced by palliative.The article ends by drawing attention to Portugal and the guidelines issued in 1995 by the Conselho Nacional de Ética (National Council of Ethics) para as Ciencias da vida about the ethical aspects of health care related to the end of life.

In the last fi fty years the technical and scientifi c advances in fifty years the technical and scientific advances in the area of medicine have introduced into clinical practice new concepts of death, the diagnosis of which entails the production of an elaborate list of evidence. The coexistence of various criteria of death has been a controversial issue and subject to intense debate.With discussions caught up in a stalemate of unclear concepts and defi nitions, criteria of cerebral death were ratifi ed in most countries. Portugal adopted the death of the brain stem as the criterion that has been applied since 1994.In this article, after putting the issue into historical perspective, the different defi nitions, criteria and testing of death are revised, mainly from an ethical point of view, in reference to the main arguments put forth by advocates of each position.It is concluded that the inexistence of a single concept of death, together with the variation of criteria and testing methods are the evidence of the weakness of these defi nitions. Therefore clinical situations which are considered irreversible may no longer be so, depending on the scientifi c knowledge about the physiopathology of diseases and therapeutic resources. In relation to the tests used in the diagnosis of death, it is concluded that performing the apnea testing violates the most elementary rules employed to avoid irreversible brain damage in the treatment of patients with intracranial hypertension.This makes a serious effort of therapeutic investigation into the situations of coma and apnea mandatory at the same time as an overall revision of testing methods in order to exclude the apnea testing.

The reviewing of articles by peers also known as peer review or refereeing is, undoubtedly quite important to the development and updating of Medicine.This type of revision entails the submission of a scientific work to the scrutiny of at least one expert on the subject being analysed. The quality of the article quite often depends on the commentaries and /or suggestions given by those reviewing the work.Although this system has been repeatedly criticised, the fact is that it has not been proven that there is a better process by which the scientific quality of a work can be assessed.The current work aims to demonstrate the importance of peer review, taking into account the fundamental role played not only by those who review the work, but also by the editor-in-chief. Other topics of extreme importance to this matter are also referred to, such as, the reason why one should peer review, how to find reviewers and how to review a manuscript.

The relationship between a health professional and a patient should settle in a “ethical universe”, informed consent and respect for the intimacy and dignity of the patient, as a human being. This relationship has 3 different dimensions: one socio-economic (legal point of view), one technical-scientific and a help based relationship between nurse and patient. It is in this last dimension that the author analyses phenomenological the concept of a person, putting in perspective as a model of values and as a individual model of “person-value”. Being, on the concept of embracing a person, the author analyses a double ethical perspective: the relationship with “himself ” and with the “others”, regarding his “being” universal.

The main objective of this article is to analyse the communication of companies through a theoretical model that reveals discursive elements inherent to the creation of corpo- rate legitimacy. A Habermasian approach to corporate communication and public relations on social networks is at the centre of this reflection. The article starts by presenting a brief review of public relations and communication management studies encompassed by the paradigm of Habermas’s Discourse Ethics and Theory of Communicative Action. Following that, a recent Portuguese case study, the Ensitel Case, is presented as an example of the loss of corporate legitimacy on the Web. The importance of a dialogic approach to corporate communication and public relations in order to maintain corporate legitimacy is underlined.

In this proceedings book, we can find 29 extended abstracts selected for presentation and discussion at the interim ECREA Organizational and Strategic Communication thematic session conference that took place from 5th to 7th of July 2023 at the Autonomous University of Lisbon, in a joint organisation with LabCom – Research centre, from the University of Beira Interior. Some of the topics debated along the conference were: normative governance for organizational communication and strategic communication; impact of rhetoric, persuasion and brand narratives on society; public sector implications of normative dimensions; nonprofit and hypocrisy; impact of communication on consumers identity and well-being; B-corps as a new relationship management approach; accountability, integrated reporting and communication; greenwashing and other “image” washing; internal relationship management and well-being; corporate social advocacy and CEO activism.

Introdução Os doentes nas Unidades de Cuidados Intensivos que possam estar com o prognóstico vital limitado ou inclusive fechado, conscientes ou não, podem ter a possibilidade de ver a sua vida prolongada indefinidamente graças ao avanço da tecnologia no campo da medicina. Com isto, surge o dilema: quando é que devemos adequar o esforço terapêutico e diagnóstico? Objetivo Esta revisão sistemática procura: ? analisar e unificar os diferentes princípios e valores bioéticos e fatores que influenciam a decisão de limitação dos esforços terapêuticos e diagnósticos nestas unidades, independentemente da patologia e da idade do doente. Metodologia Revisão Sistemática e Integrativa da Literatura com síntese narrativa. As bases de dados eletrónicas PubMed, Scielo, Journal of Medical Ethics, Critical Care Medicine LWW e Web of Science foram utilizadas. Os domínios ethical decision making e intensive care foram os selecionados, com os termos MeSH Decision making, Intensive care units OR Critical care, Withholding treatment, Medical Futility e Ethics OR Bioethics e as keywords Decision making, Intensive Care, Limitation of therapeutic ef ort, Futility e Ethics. Os termos MeSH foram utilizados e combinados com outros termos e os seus sinónimos e os operadores booleanos AND e OR foram utilizados. Os títulos e abstracts foram analisados pelos dois revisores na plataforma Google Sheets. Os artigos incluídos anteriormente foram comparados com os critérios de inclusão e exclusão. A qualidade dos artigos selecionados foi testada utilizando as ferramentas de Hawker et al e a JBI Systematic Reviews Checklist para os estudos de caso. A informação dos artigos foi extraída utilizando um formulário desenvolvido para este propósito. A estratégia de pesquisa e de recolha de dados PRISMA e PICO, respetivamente, foram escolhidas para a realização desta revisão. Resultados O total de 41 artigos foram incluídos nesta revisão sistemática. Foram artigos de diferentes países e com tamanhos e características amostrais variados. O princípio da autonomia é o mais abordado seguido da beneficência, não maleficência e, por último, da justiça. A autonomia dos doentes tem sido cada vez mais respeitada apesar de ainda existirem alguns conflitos e aspetos que necessitam de maior exploração. A tomada de decisão sobre limitar terapêutica e diagnóstico permite e promove a beneficência e a não-maleficência dos doentes. O princípio da justiça verificou-se num caso de alocação injusta de produtos sanguíneos numa altura conhecida por haver maior necessidade dos mesmos. A maioria dos profissionais reconhece a dignidade inerente à vida do doente como um valor relevante, preservando-se mesmo até à morte, sendo este o valor mais referido. O maior tempo de internamento e a má qualidade de vida foram os fatores mais encontrados nesta pesquisa e são promotores destas decisões, outros fatores dentro da mesma categoria são na sua maioria diretamente relacionados com o doente, ou, com menos impacto, relacionados com os profissionais, hospitais, regiões e outros. É de destacar o papel importante das características dos profissionais de saúde em dificultar ou impedir a tomada destas decisões, sendo que nesta categoria os fatores relacionados com o doente têm um menor peso. Conclusão Os resultados desta revisão sistemática foram obtidos através de uma adequada estratégia de pesquisa, seleção de artigos e extração de dados. As barreiras encontradas poderão ter afetado a seleção de artigos e a sistematização da colheita de dados. Contudo, os artigos selecionados continham a informação necessária e a devida qualidade para responder às questões colocadas sem comprometer a validade desta revisão. A autonomia foi o princípio bioético mais referido, seguido da beneficência, não-maleficência e, por fim, a justiça. A dignidade foi o valor mais abordado e é respeitado até ao momento da morte do doente. Relativamente aos fatores que afetam estas decisões, estão relacionados diretamente com o doente ou não. Os fatores que promovem a adequação de esforços terapêuticos e diagnósticos estão maioritariamente relacionados diretamente com o doente, não exclusivamente à sua patologia, nomeadamente o maior tempo de internamento e a má qualidade de vida expectável. Observa-se a situação contrária nos fatores que dificultam ou impedem estas decisões, destacando o papel das características dos profissionais, em particular a religiosidade e a falta de familiaridade nos cuidados de conforto. É de destacar a grande necessidade de investir de forma significativa na educação dos profissionais médicos e não médicos nesta temática.

Male circumcision is one of the oldest medical interventions. Male circumcision for non-therapeutic or medical purposes is a controversial topic, especially when practiced in minors. Internationally, the debate on male circumcision in children has been neglected due to its strong religious connections (Judaism and Islam) and cultural practices, as well as its acceptance in many societies. We will discuss the legality of circumcision for non-therapeutic or medical purposes of a male child within the regulatory framework Portuguese. Sustained as violating the rights of the child to his physical integrity and self-determination, it will seek to verify legally whether the parents, under their parental prerogatives, are sovereign in the decision to carry it out or whether the best interests of the children interfere with this decision. The debate will be brought to the debate whether a possible religious right of parents can overtake children's right to physical integrity, their self-determination. The research has a qualitative, exploratory and descriptive character. The questions presented, in addition to legal problems in the face of a normative framework that does not give an immediate answer, pose moral, religious and ethical problems. Throughout the text are addressed the doctrinal positions before this practice (admissibility or not in minors), starting from the world in general to Portugal. After the examination, it is possible to conclude that a right of the parent himself must never overlap with that of the child, in particular where it is not clearly exercised in the best interests of the child or where there is no benefit.

Since the implementation of the Bologna Process, European universities have faced a paradigm shift aimed at meeting the demands of an increasingly informed society, the evolution of scientific and technological knowledge, and the challenges of employability. The management style of educational institutions has itself changed, recognising the importance of implementing compliance programmes that lead to a culture of ethics, transparency, equity and accountability that should be cultivated by everyone who is part of the education system. Since private education is an extremely competitive and regulated sector, the implementation of such programmes is even more decisive. It is in this context that this paper analyses a case study of a private higher education institution, the Higher Institute of Administration and Languages (Instituto Superior de Administração e Línguas). With this case study, one intends to analyse how this institution combats unethical practices and behaviours in the teaching process and scientific research and how it encourages a culture of integrity and quality. In recent years, these issues have assumed particular relevance for higher education institutions and, as such, they need in-depth scientific research.

This paper is based on a case study conducted following the attack on a daycare center in Brazil in 2023, and aims to answer how journalistic coverage can contribute to combating such crimes. The analysis of news outlets' behavior in response to attacks in school environments seeks to highlight successes and failures in coverage and identify solutions for practicing contemporary journalism that does not promote fear, nor elevate the perpetrators of massacres to fame. After cataloging 96 news stories in the 24 hours following the attack and engaging with research on the media's role in driving crimes, this study suggests that the Brazilian press still falters in its overexposure of victims and criminals, but has made progress in how information is handled and proposes paths for change.